IAMA Theatre Company Names Cara Greene Epstein To Newly-Created Executive Director Position

Cara Greene Epstein has transitioned into the newly-created position of executive director at IAMA Theatre Company following a two-year stint as the company's director of education. In her new role, Greene Epstein will continue to work closely with artistic director Stefanie Black, associate artistic director Margaux Susi and producing director Lara Myrene to take L.A's premier female-led theater company to the next level.

”As IAMA moves into a new phase of growth, we are so lucky to have found a dream partner in Cara,” says Black. “Her passion, experience and expansive mind have already shown to be the perfect recipe for IAMA leadership. I couldn't be more thrilled to be in collaboration and co-leadership with her. Get ready L.A.: Cara has big ideas and IAMA is about to pop off.”

Greene Epstein brings over 20 years of experience as an actor, director, producer and arts educator, as well as over 15 years experience as a strategic marketing and creative process consultant for Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits, to her new role. She has worked with theater companies from coast to coast, including The Old Globe, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Writer's Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Epic Theatre Ensemble, People's Light and the American Theater Wing.

In June of 2020, Greene Epstein delivered a now viral TED Talk from an empty Wrigley Field entitled “How Theater Weathers Wars, Outlasts Empires, and Survives Pandemics” (1.31M views). In it, Greene Epstein provided historical context for the state of theater at that time and focused on how the theater community could use this pause to build a more just, representative, and creative world, both on stage and off.

In addition to her work in the theater, Greene Epstein wrote and co-directed the award-winning feature film Dragonfly, currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Additional TV and film work includes Chicago Med, Sky Burial, Chaos Theory and They're Out of the Business. She is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Screenwriting Fellow and holds an honors degree in Theater Arts from Cornell University, an MFA in Acting from The Old Globe/USD, an MFA in Television and Screenwriting from Stephens College and is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA.

”IAMA is a theater company and community of artists that I deeply respect and admire,” she says. “For my entire adult life, I've pursued two careers simultaneously — one in arts and entertainment and one in the corporate world. The through line has been building community, empowering creativity, telling stories and making space for others to do the same. I'm so thankful to have found an artistic home at IAMA where I can continue to do that work.”

Founded in 2007, IAMA is a Los Angeles-based ensemble of artists committed to cultivating new voices and creating new works that push boundaries and take risks, while fostering an inclusive community that inspires theater-makers of future generations. IAMA is invested in challenging audiences with an authentic experience that reflects our complex modern world. Designated by Playbill as “one of 20 regional houses every theater lover must know,” the award-winning company is dedicated to developing new plays and musicals by emerging and established playwrights, including over 25 world, West Coast and Los Angeles premieres. The backbone of the company, IAMA's ensemble members have been featured in numerous critically acclaimed TV shows and films as well as a vast array of theater and live performances on and off-Broadway and across the country. Works developed at IAMA have traveled to off-Broadway, including to Second Stage and Playwrights Horizons, and continue to be performed regionally and internationally.

For more information about IAMA Theatre Company, go to www.iamatheatre.com.

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